Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to skutterudite thermoelectric materials. More particularly, the disclosure relates to materials that may be used as electrical contacts and the diffusion barrier layers in thermoelectric legs.
Background of the Technology
Thermoelectric energy conversion devices are attractive because they have no moving parts, are capable of high power densities, scalable in size, and are potentially highly reliable. These devices can be used to improve the overall efficiency of existing apparatus and systems by recovering waste heat, for example from vehicle exhaust, and to develop new systems such as solar thermoelectric energy converters.